Buffer for amusement cars



C. F. STILLMAN. BUFFER FOR `AMUSEMENT CARS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE l5. |921. 1,420,065. Patented June 20, 1922.

, INVENTOH @Hna/veer fAn/KTILLMAN A "0H/VE YS WIT/VESSES 0F NORTH BERGEN, NEVJ" JERSEY.

BTJFFEPy FOB. AMUSEB'CENT CARS.

Application filed .Tune 15,

.ll'e it known that l. (liigviincnv ti'rii.in,\;\, a cit. ot the llnited and a resident ot `North Beuren. county of Hudson. and citate ot new have invented a. new and lmproved tor A"ininsenient `Carsz oi' which the ingr is a description. i

'ibisr invention relates to amusement apparatus and has -)articular relation to a butler construction designed for user in con- ;.iection with a passender-carryingcar adapted 'lo travel in any direction on a suitable plattorni.

ln the common construction ot buffers for this purpose. it has been the `general practice to employ an annulus which is maintained in concentrically spaced relation to the body of the car by means ot compression springs radially disposed between the body and the annulus in order to absorb the shocks incident to the` contact of said cars with each other and with the sides or guard rails of the platiorni.

The present invention contemplates the employ ent of tension springs respectively connected at their opposite ends to the annulus in a car body which are normally maintained under tension to maintain the annulus in concentric spaced relation in order to cause the car body to continue in the saine direction ot travel when contact is made, whereby to bring' the same to a gradual stop tor minimizing the shock.

Another object and advantage of the present invention resides in the provision and arrangement ot tension springs for the purpose set forth which operate. to support and maintain the annulus or butter ringY in a predetermined and positive horizontal plane or a plane parallel to the bottom ot the car body.

lVith the above recited and other objects in view` the inve tion resides in the novel consti 'tion7 combination and arrangement ot parts as set forth in the following speci,- lication. pointed ont in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying' drawings. it being` understood that the right is reserved to embodiments other than those actually illustrated therein to the 'full extent indicated by the general meaning' of the terms in which the claims are expressed, and by Avariations in the phraseologry ot the same.

yln the drawings" A Figure l. is a side elevation oi? an amuse- Firmin bltates.y in the Jersey. ilulier 'follow- Spcciicaion of Letters Eatent.

1921. Serial No. 477,679.

nient car equipped with a butl'er constructed in accordance with the invention. parts being broken away and shown in section to illustrate the underlying structure;

Figure 2 is a plan View thereof;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail horizontal sectional view illustrating the manner in which the springs are secured t-o the car body.

Y eterringg to the drawings by characters oit reference, l0 designates a car, preferably of circular construction, which is mounted on the usual caster wheels ll and is provided with the interior seatinfar arrangement l2 for the accommodation of passengers. The butler construction which constitutes the teature oit thc present invention includes an anuulus i3 preferably constructed from angle iron with the upper and lower liangcs l/l and l5 disposed inwardly. A plurality of superposed rows of coiled tension springs are secured at their opposite extremities to the annulus and the body of the car. The upper row ofsprings are connected to the upper Harige 14tand are inclined upwardly from their outer end to the inner ends while the lower row of springs are connected at their outer ends to the lower flange l5 and are inclined downwardly from their outer ends to the inner ends which are connected to the car body. By this arrangement an inu clination of the springs which are, under tensionr` it will be appreciated that the annulus is normally maintained in concentrically spaced relation with respect to the car body and the opposite inclination of the upper and lower rows of springs function to normally hold the annulus in a predetermined plane relative to the plane of the bottom of the car without employing addi tional supporting' means.

As illustratedr` the opposite extremities ot the springs are bent to form attachingT eyes 17 which receive the U-bolts 18 which are designed to be passed through the car body or the flanges of the annulus and receive the retaining nuts 19.

lin use and operation of the butter7 when the annulus contacts with an object5 the springs on the opposite side of the ear with respect to the point of contact will be placed under a greater tension due to the relative movement of the car body with respect to the annulus by reason of the momentum of the car body. By this arrangement the shock incident to the Contact ot the annulus with an object is minimized and greatly reduced in comparison to the reverse action set up by the employment of compression springs.

I claim':

l. A buffer construction for amusement cars of the character set forth, comprising a rigid annular band and radially disposed tension springs connecting the band to the car body for holding the same in encircling,- relation with respect thereto, whereby the shocks incident to the contact of the car with another or with the sides of a platform will be absorbed by thetension springs at the opposite side of the car to that with which the Contact is made.

2. A buier construction for amusement cars of the character set forth, comprising a rigid annulur band and radially disposed tension springs connecting the band to the car body for holding the same in encircling relation with respect thereto, whereby the shocks incident to the contact of the car with another or with the sides of a platform will be absorbed by the tension springs at the opposite side of the car to that with which the Contact is made, whereby the car body will continue in the same direction of travel and will be gradually arrested in its movement.

3. A buffer for amusement cars of the character set forth, comprising a rigid annulus, and superposed rows oi tension springs connected at their outer ends to the annulus and at their inner ends to the car body, the upper row of springs being inclined up wardly from the outer to the inner ends and the lower row being inclined downwardly from the outer to the inner ends.

CHAUNGEY FRANK STILLMAN. 

